Tuesday, 18 January 2011

There is often a human longing for immortality. Such longing largely explains the cult of celebrity personality we endure: these people are guaranteed a little more of a legacy than most, the extension of the power of the personality over a bit more time, even after death. Our self-awareness married with the instinct to survive concocts a brew of grand imagination: reincarnation, heaven and hell and purgatory, all potential ways for the personality to survive forever. We attend a funeral and lament our own demise, as the story of our lives will inevitably end with death. At the funeral, we think: how much will this person be missed? Am I thinking of this person, or am I thinking of whether or not I will be remembered? How important is it that I am?

Non-duality books, blogs and speakers seem to promise, to the personality, identity, ego or however you care to label it, a guarantee of immortality. This is already eternity and infinity, they say. What you are, truly, is timeless. This is comforting. The ego laps it up eagerly. But the point of awareness that we are, in which all that seems to be appears to rise and fall in, is not a complex personality or a life story filled with highs and lows, joys and sorrows. What we are is simpler than that; but the story that seems to unfold is the great, uncelebrated gift. A gift from itself, to itself, full of sound and fury as the Bard says, and signifying nothing; yet signifying a great deal, by virtue of its mere existence. When it no longer matters whether the personality will continue to exist for a considerable amount of time, when time is only a handy reference, then the personality, perhaps, has the freedom to fully blossom in this illusory, wonderful play of life. Perhaps the point of it all has been just this. Perhaps no point is the biggest point of all.

Now, let's celebrate the enduring immortality of two 2010 celebrity deaths: Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen. Both coincidentally prematurely white-haired, known for their early serious work, and came to comedy late in life. Below are examples of each actor's early work, and a scene from Airplane! where they exercise their comedy chops. May they both live forever.

19 comments:

did you know peter graves and james arness (matt dillon of gunsmoke) are brothers? arness is still alive.

saw a segment on 60 minutes about many of these dead celebrities have agents who sell their images to print and media. most are making far more than when they were alive. like elvis, james dean, marilyn monroe etc etc.

"What you are, truly, is timeless. This is comforting. The ego laps it up eagerly."

Spot on. I get the image of a slobby bulldog following behind me, eagerly snuffling up all the bits n pieces I "drop" and regurgitating them in my lap. Coincidentally, I was reading a bit that went something like: If you want a little waking, give up a little, and if you want it fully, give up everything. The absurdity is that on inspection, there really isn't anything there that is mine and could even give up. But that is the way this business is.

Hey Anonymous, yes I did know that Peter Graves and James Arness are brothers. It's definitely the kind of thing I'd know. And there's that immortality theme again...we're worth more dead than alive, and interest in our personality is sparked when we die. If nonduality isn't your thing, this is ironically comforting!

so if there's no afterlife, reincarnation etc how are ghosts explained? jackie o'keeffe dealt with ghosts for a time of her life. richard rose cast an entity out of a guy.http://www.richardrose.org/ata15.htm

other 'dimensions' but ultimately just appearances as much as this one?

The movie Forbidden Planet,a sci-fi classic from the 1950's era starring Leslie Nielsen and Walter Pidgeon. This movie when I first saw it in the late 60's,I must have been around 5 or 6 at the time,made a lasting impression.The eerie vastness and the sense of ambiguity of this alien landscape triggered my passion for the fantastic and mysterious.Would be decades later that I came to know that Leslie Nielsen,master of parody with his signature deadpan humor,had a key role in this auspicious(to me anyway) movie.Thanks for writing what you write.- Suki

Followers

Visitors (since March 2009)

All words and pictures are copyright 2008-2011 Suzanne Foxton. Please do not use any material from this site, especially artwork, without permission from the author. Just ask, she'll probably say yes!

Disclaimer.

This website is for educational purposes only and is not intended in any way to be a replacement for, or a substitute to, qualified medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or as a replacement for, or a substitute to, psychological advice, diaognosis or treatment, or therapy from a fully qualified person. If you think you are suffering from a medical or psychological condition, consult your doctor or other appropriately qualified professional person or service immediately. We are not responsible or liable for any action made by a user based on the content of this website. We are not liable for the contents of any external websites listed, or for any actions made by a user based on the contents of these extermal sites, nor do we necessarily endorse any product or service mentioned or advised on any of these external sites. Any data or information is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended for any other commercial or non-commercial purposes. We will not be liable for any errors or delays in the content of this website, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. By accessing our web site, you agree not to redistribute the material found therein, unless appropriate rights have been granted. We provide links to select sites for your convenience only. We do not necessarily endorse or recommend the services of any company. We shall not be liable for any damages or costs of any type arising out of or in any way connected with your use of our website. We are not lawyers, but we sure are guided by litigiousness!

By using the site, you fully agree to these terms, you naughty, naughty possible miscreants! Thank you.